Seasonal Entertainment at the Curve bar - Park Street Mews

Tis the season to be jolly and this time around the best choice for a chilled out seasonal entertainment is the Curve, next to Park Street Mews. Why? It has a radiant ambience complimented by some lovely music performances by great bands such as Kool, CJ with Minthaka and Damien with DZone. Sitting down with these bands for a chat made me realize why I should come to Curve more often and enjoy the live music with a difference.

Getting to know Kool

Lead by Herschel Rodrigo on keyboard, Shamistha on vocals, Ravin on vocals and guitar, Shiraz on drums, Shehan on sax and Dulip on Bass, Kool is a collaboration of both young and older generations giving it a twist in its music.

Herschel, who had been in the music scenario since he was 16 is a natural and has been travelling for most of his life. He worked as a songwriter and composer in California before putting Kool together. It was Harpo's which encouraged the idea of a band being put together by Herschel which ultimately happened as a result. Kool is mainly associated with Funk, Jazz, Pop and many other genres of music making them a unique band that plays almost everything with a difference.

Shamistha, who has been singing with Kool for almost three months explained to me as to what makes Kool a unique band.

"We don't play normal pop music. We mix Jazz, Funk, Latin along with many other genres to bring out something new and different. We change the arrangements, the rhythms and sometimes even the music which gives a complete different feel to the music. This is what makes Kool unique."

Ravin too explained as to why it's different playing in Kool rather than by himself.

"There's a difference playing alone and with a bunch of people. Mostly it's far more interactive and innovative which makes the music more exciting and lively."

Shehan mentored by Aruna Siriwardhana who also makes a guest appearance once in a while mentioned how the crowd and place provides a great atmosphere for a band like Kool to play freely, without restraint.

"We play quite freely and interact greatly with the audience. Even now we make it a point to speak to those who are listening to us and play to our heart's content. Most of the time the feedback is appreciative and that motivates us to go a long way."

Shiraz, who has been a part of Kool for over three months elaborated on how talent and experiences comes into play when putting music together.

"I joined Kool, because of Herschel. His personality and character simply drove me to be a part of such an amazing experience. When I hear him I get inspired, and so do the others. Great musicians are made by experience and Kool is special because it relies on products that come out of moments which I'd call as spur of the moment music. We improvise so much, fusing different genres together  like Pop along with Jazz to give the audience new music to remember."

Dulip on the other hand emphasized on how to make it work between two complete different generations and age groups and how Kool does it without clashing.

"We don't clash although we have both younger and an older musicians in Kool. Any idea, as maddening as it may sound is taken well and we run with it. I've never played for a band which plays such different genres. We want to be so professional that we can play any genre without limiting ourselves to a few. I personally enjoy playing at Curve as it's fun and interactive providing the perfect atmosphere for some amazing improvised music."

Aruna Siriwardhana, the veteran musician who has trained most young musicians in Kool, makes a guest performance once in a while and we were lucky enough to have had a chat with him.

Take me back in time on how it all started?

I am a friend of Herschel for almost forty years who performs when invited although I've taken a backseat in performing. However, I still mentor and teach young musicians free of charge at home leisurely and Shamistha, Ravin and Shehan were introduced to Kool as a result. Everyone has a talent for music. You just need to pursue and develop it. There are a handful of gifted musicians and one such individual is Ravin. But what is important is that anyone can be a musician if they really want to.

What drawbacks do you see in music today?

What I don't see nowadays is the education in music, when it comes to young people. That needs to change.

How hard do you have to train to be good?

Today the standards are extremely low. We are a nation where the blind is led by a one eyed king. No opportunities in the country and musicians are very backward to perform what their souls tell them to. They simply perform what the audience wants. In most music today, there is no melody. The rate of music literacy is declining and by literacy I do not mean learnedness but the ability to appreciate melody.

How do you believe we can change this?

If the musicians and the bands play what their souls tell them to, the audience would indeed take it over what is currently popular. Here at Curve it is a treat for music lovers and the musicians. Musicians take the extra step to imagine better.

That’s Kool for you! And you can catch them on Thursdays and Fridays doing their thing at Curve Bar, Park Street Mews.

I was also acquainted with CJ who plays on Saturdays at Curve and he too shared his personal experience being a musician.

"Mintaka is a seven piece band which plays RnB, Modern Pop, Soul and Classics. I felt like there was need for this kind of music and my singers simply nail it. We play covers mostly while I do write my own stuff and compose. I am mostly into world music and I listen to a number of genres although I was initially into rock music.  The music scene in Sri Lanka needs to change as everyone wants what they've heard before. Most bands play the same song while here at Curve it's done differently. We always experiment with music before improvisation to give a new genre or new piece of music to our listeners."

Also you can catch Damien with DZone every Wednesday at Curve.

Interviewed by Eshani Seneviratne